WWE Raw cut to 2 hours before Netflix move

WWE has announced it is shortening its flagship Raw programme from 3 hours to 2 hours.

The alteration volition travel into unit from 7 October, portion it's connected the USA Network channel, earlier it switches implicit to Netflix successful January 2025.

It's not confirmed whether the alteration successful magnitude volition proceed arsenic the institution moves to the streaming platform.

The amusement has been 3 hours since its thousandth occurrence successful July 2012.

The clip has agelong been debated among the WWE community, with immoderate fans liking the enactment of being capable to spot much talent, but others feeling it dragged.

WWE Superstar Seth "Freakin" Rollins has antecedently said it was "obnoxiously long".

WWE's woody with the USA Network was reportedly meant to expire successful October, but the amusement volition present beryllium connected the transmission successful the US until the extremity of the twelvemonth astatine a shorter tally clip - until it goes implicit to Netflix.

Viewers successful the UK volition besides spot the shorter magnitude erstwhile watching connected TNT Sports oregon the WWE Network.

WWE instrumentality Jonathan Elgie says he's blessed they've taken the determination to chopped it down.

"Sometimes determination is excessively overmuch of a bully thing," helium tells BBC Newsbeat.

"Sometimes it feels similar you're watching the merchandise for 3 hours and this is coming from idiosyncratic who's been a wrestling instrumentality astir my full life.

"It's indispensable astatine this constituent to shorten it down. There's a batch of filler successful determination that doesn't request to beryllium successful there."

In 2015, Paul Levesque, existent main contented serviceman and known arsenic Triple H, told the Stone Cold podcast that if "I could alteration anything, I'd emotion it to beryllium 2 hours".

In 2022, Seth Rollins told the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast that helium felt a 3 hr amusement meant "everything gets stretched out".

"You’ve got to capable 3 hours of television, there’s conscionable thing to beryllium done. That’s conscionable however it is.

"So I deliberation 2 hours is simply a beauteous fig for a show. And I deliberation it’s easier to marque everything mean a small spot more."

But Jonathan besides thinks determination tin beryllium a downside to little time.

"Sometimes endowment won't get to showcase.

"If there's a 2 hr amusement determination mightiness beryllium endowment pulled from the amusement that different wouldn't beryllium capable to amusement their skills," Jonathan says.

It is chartless whether it volition displacement backmost to 3 hours connected Netflix but immoderate reports successful the US suggest it will.

Jonathan feels the 2 hours until the extremity of the twelvemonth tin enactment arsenic a trial.

"To spot however it works.

"Obviously they person Smackdown which is 2 hours. That ne'er feels similar you're watching for immoderate longer than 2 hours."

TKO, the institution which owns WWE, has described the determination to Netflix arsenic "a large programming shift" - leaving accepted TV stations for the archetypal clip since Raw became a happening successful the aboriginal 90s.

The president, Mark Shapiro, described the woody arsenic "transformative" astatine the clip it was announced.

"It marries the can’t-miss WWE merchandise with Netflix’s bonzer planetary reach."

And arsenic Raw moves, Jonathan besides wants to spot a displacement successful the programme.

"I privation to spot it get edgier again.

"I privation to spot that darker contented - the little PG stuff. I'm an big truthful that appeals to maine more.

"Not saying the PG worldly isn't good. I privation to spot an edgier product."

BBC Newsbeat has asked WWE astir the changes and what volition hap to the amusement connected Netflix, but they did not springiness an answer.